The hard-luck Williams missed all of his rookie season a year ago with a torn patella tendon.

He injured his shoulder on a hard hit during last Thursday night’s loss at St. Louis.

The injury leaves Arizona with running backs LaRod Stephens-Howling, William Powell, and Alfonso Smith. Stephens-Howling missed the last two weeks with a hip flexor.

The Cardinals are 4-1 despite their virtual lack of any ground game. They rank 31st out of 32 NFL teams in yards rushing per game at 63.4. Only Oakland’s 60.8 is worse.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt revealed the extent of the injury in his brief meeting with reporters following the team’s light workout Monday.

‘‘The timetable for recovery is probably three months, so that puts him out for the season,’’ Whisenhunt said.

Asked if the team would look to bring in a running back from elsewhere, he said, ‘‘We’ll look and see.’’

‘‘I feel good about the guys that we’ve got,’’ the coach said.

Hill suspended

The NFL suspended Giants rookie safety Will Hill for using the stimulant Adderall, the same prescription drug that teammate Tyler Sash used. The Giants announced Hill’s suspension on Monday, the same day they added Sash back to the 53-man roster following his suspension, which was announced during training camp. Hill’s suspension will begin immediately. He will be eligible to return to the Giants active roster Nov. 5, the day after the Giants play the Steelers . . . Speaking for the first time since he was suspended four games by the NFL, Browns cornerback Joe Haden acknowledged Monday he tested positive for Adderall, leading him to be banned for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Haden, one of Cleveland’s best players, apologized to his teammates, coaches, and Cleveland’s fans for his costly misstep. ‘‘It was just a mistake,” Haden said.

Griffin looks ‘good’

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said ‘‘right now it looks good’’ that Robert Griffin III will be able to play Sunday against the Vikings. Shanahan said Griffin was experiencing no dizziness, headaches, or vomiting a day after the No. 2 overall draft pick suffered a concussion in a loss to the Falcons. Shanahan emphasized that Griffin will have to go through a series of tests to satisfy the NFL’s return-to-play protocol . . . Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel sustained a concussion in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against Baltimore and is unlikely to play in next weekend’s game at Tampa Bay. Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said he’s not yet ruling Cassel out against the Buccaneers, but he also said that the quarterback’s health is of paramount importance. Crennel said that Brady Quinn will prepare to start next Sunday’s game . . . Bengals running back Bernard Scott will miss the rest of the season with an injured left knee suffered Sunday against the Dolphins.

Calling the play

NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth saw something wrong with Chargers left tackle Jared Gaither and predicted that Saints defensive end Martez Wilson would sack Philip Rivers to end Sunday night’s game. Sure enough, with the Chargers desperately trying for the tying touchdown in the final seconds, Wilson blew past the hobbled Gaither, who had injured his groin, on Rivers’s blind side for the strip-sack and recovered the fumble to preserve the Saints’ 31-24 victory. Said Chargers coach Norv Turner: ‘‘It wasn’t brought to my attention.’’ . . . Vikings strong safety Harrison Smith won’t be punished further for his shove of an official that drew a 15-yard penalty and automatic ejection from Sunday’s game against Tennessee. Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said Monday that the team was told by the NFL that Smith won’t be fined or suspended. The rookie was pulled away from a tussle with some Titans players by back judge Steve Freeman after an interception by the Vikings in the second quarter, when Smith pushed Freeman aside. Smith apologized after the game for what he called an ‘‘unacceptable’’ action and said he was wrong for even being involved in the scrum . . . The Vikings said wide receiver Jerome Simpson woke up Sunday with numbness and weakness in his lower left leg that hindered him in the game against Tennessee. He will undergo MRIs Monday . . . The Detroit Free Press and Detroit News reported that former Lions All-Pro defensive lineman Alex Karras has kidney failure and has been given only a few days to live. Karras, 77, who also was a successful actor, has been suffering from dementia.